


Naked

by Solitude_of_Stars



Category: RWBY
Genre: 5+1, Birb Qrow, Clover Deserved Better, Clover's Naked Butt, Clover's death will be mentioned and then fixed, Eventual Romance, Five + one times Qrow sees Clover naked, Flirting, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attack, Potential Warnings before the Chapters, This is our ship you can't take it from us!, fair game, this is mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:07:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22639756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solitude_of_Stars/pseuds/Solitude_of_Stars
Summary: Five times Qrow sees Clover naked unintentionally and one time it is absolutely intentional
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 27
Kudos: 238





	1. Chapter 1

This is the first time I´ve been writing fanfiction since I started university 5+ years ago. It’s also my first time writing in English (German being my first language) and also the first time writing for this fandom.

This is also not beta-read because I am way too impatient. I could find someone though, if you guys feel it would improve your reading experience.

And yes, this one is totally inspired by [this amazing comic](https://solitude-of-stars.tumblr.com/post/190735285275) on tumblr. Check it out, it’s hilarious. I stole the idea for the first part of this chapter from the song [Northern Lights by 30 Seconds to Mars.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTKnSbFBIh8) Also the Skyrim soundtrack. Because I somehow always end up writing to the Skyrim soundtrack. Long live Jeremy Soule.

***

Qrow is soaring through the freezing air above Atlas.

As a human he moans about the ice-cold weather and is secretly very glad about his new lined combat wardrobe to fend off the low temperatures, even though he would never admit to it. As a bird however he enjoys feeling the cold underneath his wings, waking up his senses and making him feel more alive than he has in months.

Above him floats Aurora Borealis, green and red and purple, silent but oh so beautiful, especially to his superior avian eyes. He thinks about joining it, rising higher and higher until Atlas underneath him is but a dot on the frozen tundra, tiny and insignificant and lost. He wonders what it feels like to swim among the northern lights, to be surrounded by colors so bright they must cover every dark patch on his stained soul, chase away every nightmare and every negative thought that decided to cross his mind.

But it is getting late and he knows that Ruby gets skittish whenever she can´t find him in the evenings to wish him a good night. She really is too good for him, his bird brain muses, they all are. This rag-tag group of kids who seem to care so much about him, who worry for him, _who love him_ , even though he has brought them nothing but pain and sorrow.

Qrow aims for Atlas Academy, the center of the flying city, where their group resides; the kids in the dorms and him in the barracks that hold, among others, a certain team of special operatives.

The Ace Ops.

Qrow can´t say he likes the team very much. Not all of them at least. They are too law-abiding, too military, too much “shoot first and ask questions later”. They never doubt their leader, they just take orders and act on them. He used to be like them, he muses, back while working for Ozpin. He´d never liked the military, but he hadn´t exactly questioned the headmaster either. Now, after the betrayal he sees things differently. He can´t really blame them, he supposes, not for their faith in James, but he can blame them for very obviously not using their heads when they should.

He doesn’t really understand them, especially not that Faunus-guy. From what Qrow has seen and heard, Marrow would fit much better into Robyn’s group of vigilantes. The only one who seems to have at least some notion of a mind of his own is their leader.

Clover Ebi.

That guy is a walking enigma. Qrow can´t even begin to understand him. Clover seems to consist entirely of contradictions. He is Ironwoods right-hand man, law abiding to a fault, slightly arrogant at times and very, very cocky. But he also seems to care a great deal for the outsiders, the outcasts, the people of Mantle. Qrow has seen him reprimand Harriet several times for teasing Marrow in a way that Qrow, and apparently also Clover, had felt lingered on the verge of cruelty.

(Qrow really doesn´t like the woman and can´t even begin to understand Ruby’s excitement about working with her.)

And despite all that cockiness and arrogance, Clover is, at heart, a very supportive and honest person who clearly doesn´t like working behind the people’s backs. He also seems to try to bring out the best in everyone. Qrow knows. He has been on the receiving end of this more and more often now. And the worst (or maybe best) part about it is that it is clearly working. Qrow feels better than he has in years. Yes, getting sober has certainly played into it as well, but Qrow knows that Clover embodies what he himself hasn´t had in years and now knows he desperately needed:

A friend. 

Yes, he considers Clover a friend. They might not know much about each other but Qrow feels that Clover is someone he can trust. He doesn´t even mind the semblance. At first, he thought he would be jealous, but he realized pretty quickly that the relief of not needing to hold back in battle, of not having to make sure the other doesn´t get affected by his semblance, is something he needed. And now that he has it, he whishes to hold this freedom forever.

They do make a good team, him and Clover.

Qrow slows down when he passes the dorms. He can see Ruby, Weiss, Oscar and Jaune play a very lively game of cards on the floor of Team JNR+Oscars room while Ren and Nora are huddled close on one of the beds, Ren watching the others while Nora plays with his hair. In the next room are Blake and Yang getting ready for what Qrow suspects is a date. Oh, to be young again and so obviously in love. He is glad though, they deserve it, to have time to actually focus on such mundane things as feelings and romance and not be knee-deep in war and misery all the time.

Next are the barracks and Qrow can already see the window of his room that he left open so he can come back directly and doesn’t have to change into his human form out in the open. He glides past the ace ops’ rooms. Vines windows are blocked by thick curtains, but in the next room he can see Elm doing push-ups with Harriet sitting cross-legged on her back, browsing a magazine. Next is Marrow on his bed, lying on his stomach and reading a book while his tail wags lazily from right to left and then Qrow passes the last window before his and is suddenly presented with a backside.

A very naked backside.

One thing Qrow tends to suppress whenever he thinks about the leader of the Ace Ops is how stupidly attractive that man is. There are, of course, those teal eyes, piercing and bright and somehow always carrying a mischievous glint in them, even in dire situations. His aversion to sleeves comes to mind as well. Qrow finds it very distracting, especially in the morning briefings, his first coffee not yet finished and his mind looking for every opportunity to tune out the boring reports and mission summaries. He knows better than to get attached but those arms? They are really something else.

As is, apparently, Clovers backside.

Qrow tries to feel guilty, he really does, but it is not like he can´t not turn around and immediately find the perfect vantage point on the big oak they had planted right in front of the barracks. It’s Clovers own fault, really, he could use curtains like Vine, but no, he is presenting his bare ass to everyone who happens to come by the window. (He ignores the nagging voice in the back of his head that tells him that they live on the third floor and that no one should be able to actually take a look. He really doesn’t need this kind of input and he doesn’t like that the voice sounds suspiciously like Raven either.) 

Clover is standing in front of his small kitchenette, apparently fresh out of the shower because his hair is still wet, and he is wearing a green towel around his neck. But apart from that he is very much naked. Hip leaning against the counter and absentmindedly stirring his tea, which Qrow knows Clover likes with a spoonful of honey. It’s very domestic and Qrow is pretty sure he has never seen this guy look so relaxed, so content. It suits him.

And now he is turning around.

Oh boy.

Qrow thinks about closing his eyes but who is he kidding? There is no one here who´d judge him but himself and Qrow is only human. Sometimes he can´t help himself.

So yes, Clover certainly is a lucky man. It might just be genetics though, because Qrow knows that semblance doesn´t necessarily have a say in these things. He would know. Qrow does have a pessimistic view on almost anything happening in his life but if asked, he´d admit freely that he is a good-looking guy. And he can´t complain about this part of his body either, even though he feels like he has neglected it for some time now.

It´s a shame really, but he had to take care of a bunch of teenagers, there was no time for these kinds of distractions. No willing participants either. The only grown-ups he has encountered are Lionheart (ew), Ironwood (worth a second thought but way too close to the edge of insanity, wouldn´t be good for his own mental health. He is just getting better himself, after all) and Maria (he thinks he´d feel kind of flattered, but no). Clover is most definitely his type, but they are colleagues and he doesn´t want to be unprofessional. Also the “not getting attached” thing. Because with all the positive attention he is getting from the Ace Op, he would certainly get attached. Qrow knows himself too well. Again, only human and all that.

Clover has moved to his window and opened it to enjoy the clear evening air. Still naked but apparently not freezing yet. His temperature sensitivity has to be malfunctioning somehow, Qrow muses. That can´t be normal. His gaze lingers on Clovers facial features. They are open and calm, his gaze caught in the view of the northern lights above their heads. He seems lost in thought and Qrow wonders what someone like Clover thinks about when he is alone. Does he plan the next missions, worry about the threat that is Salem or is he someone who doesn´t take his work home with him? Would that even be possible with a job like his? What worries does someone have who has the best luck in the world?

Qrow decides then to leave him be. He´d like to know the guy better, sure, and just now he had the opportunity to see a whole other, private side of him. But Clover deserves his night off, not to be spied on by a fellow huntsman.

So he takes off, as silent as possible so he doesn´t disturb the man and finds a hidden spot on campus near the barracks where he changes into his human form, because flying into his room in his avian form would have certainly seemed suspicious to his neighbor at the window.

He walks the rest of the way, slowly and relaxed, even enjoying the chilly evening air as a human. His eyes fall once again to the northern lights and he thinks that now they are both watching them, each in their own but also together, caught by the sheer endlessness of color and light.

He doesn´t notice the teal eyes that follow him until he enters the building.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover gets absolutely drenched in ice-cold water. Qrow makes him take his clothes off. For health-related reasons of course!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has more hurt/comfort in it than I initially planned for. It also got a lot longer than I expected. Oh well…

“See, this is what you get for making this a two-man mission, Lucky Charm. If it had been just you or me, this wouldn´t have happened. Our semblances don´t cancel each other out, it´s just a game of chance really. And this time, my semblance won, and you are here with barely any aura left, trudging through the frozen tundra while being entirely drenched in ice-cold water.”

Qrow hopes that the other man can hear how frustrated he is. Because he is really, _really_ frustrated right now.

“I think that it is actually my semblance’s fault” comes the chipper answer, even though Clovers voice does seem a little more tired than usual. Taking an unplanned bath in a frozen lake seems to take a toll on even the most upbeat person in Atlas. Good to know.

“I fail to see how anything about this situation we’re in now can be the result of your good luck.”

“The nevermore could have dropped me onto the frozen tundra, not into the lake. My bones would have most definitely shattered on impact with how low my aura already was. I could be dead now, but I am not. Just a little wet.”

Qrow growls in frustration. “This is not how this works! ‘Not dying’ shouldn´t be an indicator for good luck. You can always find something worse in every situation, but that doesn´t mean that the situation is good or caused by good luck.” He takes a closer look at the other man, then throws his hands up in indignation. “ _Just a little wet_. Look at you, your eyelashes are crystallizing!”

Clover just shrugs, seemingly unbothered by how agitated his partner is. “Isn´t this exactly what you are always doing? Telling everybody and yourself that every bad thing happening in this world, even if it’s just the smallest of inconveniences, is because of your semblance. If you are allowed to only look at one side of the coin, then why shouldn´t I do the same?”

Qrow only grumbles something unintelligible and choses to change the topic.

“Where are we even going? I know for a fact that Atlas is behind us. Heck, this was supposed to be a simple recon mission. I bet my semblance got us in this situation in the first place. Four Nevermores, this can´t have been just a coincidence. And now we are here, out in the freezing cold, no signal and without any way to contact Atlas.”

Clover laughs. “See, you are doing it again! Come on Qrow, cheer up a bit. Look, we are almost there!” He gestures ahead and Qrow can see a small wooden cabin. Where did they even get the wood for building this thing? And why out here, in the middle of nowhere? He really doesn´t understand Atlesian brainwork sometimes.

“These are normally used for military men and huntsmen who get caught in a snowstorm” Clover explains when they arrive at the cabin. “Those storms can get quite fatal out here. The cabins are there to make sure they find shelter, but they also offer a way to contact Mantle who will then pass it on to Atlas.”

“What kind of contact? There is no signal out here,” Qrow inquires while Clover fumbles with the key he took out of something that looked like a small postbox. Are his hands shaking?

“Come on, let me do it” he says, grabs Clovers shoulders and tries to push the man out of the way.

His skin is freezing cold.

“Goddammit Clover, we need to get you inside” Qrow forcefully takes the key out of the man’s hand and almost misses how crooked those fingers are, how stiff and blue they seem to be. Stupid Atlesian stubbornness.

He opens the door and ushers Clover inside. The cabin is small, only containing the most necessary things, but he is relieved to find a fireplace. At least they won´t freeze to death if their ride home takes a little longer to get to them. Or, he thinks as he eyes the Ace Op critically, one of them won’t.

“You, off with these clothes!” Qrow commands while he scans the room for some wood that he can start a fire with and also maybe some spare clothes. That guy wouldn´t get hypothermia on his watch!

“How about asking a girl out first?” Clover jokes but Qrow is not having it.

“I’m serious Clover, get out of these wet clothes! You ever had hypothermia? It’s not fun, I can promise you that. Stop acting like a god damn fool, the other Ace Ops aren’t here right now so there is no need to fake being invincible. I certainly won´t be impressed if you are dead!”

Clover stares at him, wide-eyed and taken aback. Qrow doesn´t want to see the inevitable hurt in those teal eyes so he turns around and inspects the trunk next to the fireplace. It is filled with enough wood to last them three days at least. Not that he thinks they have to. Atlas can be disgustingly proficient when they want to and Qrow suspects that the team-leader of the Ace Ops in peril might just be a reason for them to act fast. If they ever get to send them their coordinates. He is still not sure how this is supposed to work.

Qrow lights a fire and takes off his own boots, cloak, vest and grey collar shirt, leaving him in only his white v-neck and pants. His clothes aren’t wet but even though his aura took care of his body heat, they aren´t exactly comfortable to wear at the moment. Qrow can hear some shuffling behind him but doesn´t turn around. Instead he wanders to the simple wardrobe at the other end of the room, hoping to find some spare sweatshirts or at least a dry shirt or something similar for Clover to wear, but to no avail. He does find two blankets though.

Stifled swearing directs his focus back to Clover. The Ace Op is sitting on the small couch in front of the fireplace, bent forward, and seems to have some trouble getting his boots of. “Need some help there, Lucky Charm?”

Clover movements freeze and for a second, Qrow is sure the other will decline. He almost expects him to, old habits die hard and it is not as if Qrow had been prone to ask for help at any point in his life really.

“Yes” comes the short answer, sounding a little distressed and maybe even a little uncertain. That must have been hard for Clover, Qrow thinks, to admit to that, so he suppresses the chuckle that threatens to leave his throat. There is no use in embarrassing the guy further.

He crosses the room with the blankets in his arms and stares down at the Ace Op. Stiff fingers are trying to open the laces of his combat boots but slip off of the knot every single time. Qrow sighs, deposits the blankets on the couch cushions next to Clover and crouches down in front of the man. Gently, he takes Clover’s hands in his own and holds them there for a few seconds, trying to warm them a little, to get some feeling back into them. They are ice-cold and the wet leather of Clovers fingerless gloves only worsens their condition.

Qrow sighs again and places Clovers hands in the man’s lap. “Sorry about what I said. That was uncalled for” he says while opening the laces of the left boot. “No, you have a point” Clover admits and plucks at his gloves while avoiding Qrow’s gaze. “I do have a hard time admitting when something’s not going according to plan and I need help. It doesn’t happen often and when it does, I always feel like I am not allowed to let it show.”

“Still” the older mumbles while pulling the boot and the dripping sock off of Clovers foot and proceeds with the other one. “I should be the last person to criticize you on that. Haven´t exactly had the best track record with asking for help or showing any kind of weakness either, you know.”

“I figured” comes the soft answer and Qrow can practically hear the smile return to Clovers face. His voice is just that expressive, really, and nuanced. Not that Qrow has paid any attention to that in the past.

He looks up and sees Clover fumbling with the buttons of his uniform. “Leave it to me” he says while taking the second boot off. “Just try to move your fingers as much as possible to stimulate the blood flow. Can’t have your fingers fall off now, can we?” He even dares to wink at the other man and thinks he can see a faint blush on his cheeks, but it might just be the warmth seeping back into the Clover’s body. 

Qrow helps Clover out of his gloves, coat, belt and even his white uniform pants and pads him down with one of the blankets to get him dry, while Clover stands in front of him and seems very adamant to look at everything else but him.

“Think you can get these off yourself?” Qrow finally asks and eyes Clovers black briefs critically. They are dripping wet and cling to Clover like a second skin. Quite revealing really. Qrow tries very hard not to enjoy the view. He is only partially successful and has to force the rising blush in his cheeks out of existence.

There is a short pause where both of them seem to hold their breaths.

“No.”

Qrow nods, he has already expected that answer. Those fingers are in dire need of some warmth or they might suffer further damage. He will deal with it right after finishing with… this, he thinks, while very pointedly not looking at Clover’s clothed pelvic area _right in front of his face._

Oh boy.

“It’s fine, I can leave them on” Clover says hastily and tries to take a step back but years in the field have given Qrow very refined reflexes. He grabs Clovers thighs and forces him to stay.

“Not a chance. A bladder infection can be just as nasty as hypothermia, believe me.” He looks up and yes, there is definitely a shimmer of red on Clover’s cheeks now. “Relax” he adds and, without even realizing it, starts to rub soothing circles on Clovers thighs. “It’s not like you have anything I don´t have.”

The Ace Op just nods, looking flustered and a little defeated.

Okay now, back or front?

The decision is actually not that hard to make. Qrow has always appreciated a fine butt, no matter the gender, so he takes a step around the man and feigns having missed some wet spots on his back that he has to towel dry first. Then he slowly proceeds to peel the wet piece of clothing off of the Ace Ops body. 

So yes, he might have thought about this specific part of Clover’s body quite a few times now. Might have dreamt about it, too. And he is quite glad to be reassured that all these times, he hasn’t remembered some idealized, made-up version of Clovers backside.

It’s still a very attractive and currently very naked butt. 

Qrow tries very hard not to ogle it too much. He fails spectacularly. Good thing Clover can´t see him, because Qrow is sure that everything about his face reveals the urge to just take some of that well-formed flesh in his hands.

As soon as Clover steps out of the dripping boxer briefs, Qrow hands him the blanket. He should be able to finish drying himself off on his own now, he hopes, because this urge is getting ridiculous.

“I check again if I can find something for you to wear. For now, you should take the second blanket and go sit down on the couch. I´ll bring some warm water for your hands soon.”

Qrow still can´t find any clothes but realizes that they actually have running warm water this far from Atlas and Mantle. He is glad because he was afraid that he’d have to use the fireplace to warm up some snow. He fills a battered bowl with lukewarm water and places it on the couch next to Clover. The man gives him a thankful smile that changes to a grimace when he dips his hands into the bowl. “Tingles” he winces, which Qrow somehow finds very endearing.

“Yeah, that’s good. It’s supposed to do that. Just stop as soon as you feel dizzy or disoriented, yeah?” Qrow is pretty sure Clover knows all about that, he is the one living in freaking Solitas after all. They probably learn about surviving in icy weather as soon as they can walk and talk. But Clover doesn’t comment on it, just nods and proceeds to dip his hands in and out of the water, wiggling them from time to time to check their flexibility.

“So, are you going to tell me how we are supposed to contact Mantle?”

Clover, hands currently occupied, nods to the corner of the room Qrow has yet to investigate. He wanders over, casts a glance on the equipment laid out on a wonky table and snorts incredulously. “Really? Morse code?”

“Yup. The lines are old and deep underground, but they still work and the Grimm don´t really seem to care about them. It’s the only way to contact anyone around here when you lose signal. Snowstorms are quite the common occurrence and these cabins are frequently used.”

“Huh, oh well, whatever. What should I send?”

Clover raises an eyebrow. “You know how to use it?”

“Well, there is a sheet of paper containing the whole code, so yeah, I think I’ll manage.” There is no heat in his voice, something that seems to reassure Clover and he goes back to tending to his hands while Qrow begins to send out a short message with all the important information needed. He decides to tell them to send a medic as well because he doesn´t trust Clover’s aura to heal him fast enough to not catch a cold or something worse.

After some time, he looks over to the other man on the couch and realizes that he is being watched.

“What?” he asks while still typing part of the message.

“You are not actually using the sheet, am I right? You are not even looking it right now. You actually know Morse code.” He sounds impressed. Qrow just shrugs.

“Ruby had a detective-phase when she was younger. Wanted to learn a made-up language or something, so she could write secret messages to Yang and her Dad. I went and got one of those sheets” he nods at the one in front of him, still not looking at it “and we all learned it together. I wonder if she can still use it. I bet she can, that little brat is way too smart for her own good.”

Clover is still looking at him and it makes Qrow a little uncomfortable to not be able to read this goddamn man. “What?” he asks a second time.

A wide smile spreads on Clovers face. “This is actually really adorable.”

Okay, this Qrow can work with. Smiling is good, even though he already knows that Clovers trademark praise and compliments are now inevitable. It has gotten easier for him to accept whatever Clover throws his way, even though he has still a hard time actually believing it.

“You being there for them, teaching them, even taking part in raising them … it’s incredible really, considering how hard it must have been for you to get close to people. To suppress that fear long enough to do something like that. I absolutely admire you for that.”

Qrow can only stare at Clover.

“You seem like you know awfully lot about being afraid of getting close to people” he finally says and wonders how Clovers past must have been for him to recognize a likeminded soul.

Clover raises his hands out of the bowl and dries them on the blanket that is lying next to him on the couch. He sighs while wrapping himself tighter in the second blanket around his broad figure.

“I know it might be hard to believe but even a semblance like mine does have some downsides to it.”

Qrow has finished the message and gets up to walk over to the couch as well. He knows he has no reason to feel anger rise in his chest, knows there is much more to this simple comment, but years of ingrained self-loathing due to his semblance makes it really hard to believe that Clover could have suffered a similar fate.

But he wants to give him the benefit of the doubt, so he only motions for Clover to make some space for him on the couch and sits down. “Shoot.”

Clover looks at him for a moment, blanket scooped around his broad frame, feet poking out from underneath the fabric.

“Well, there is the inevitable reaction that most people have when they see my rank and then hear about my semblance. How nothing I ever did in life was because I was talented or hard working. How I was similar to someone sleeping their way up the ranks, but without having to do the actual sleeping around. My achievements were worth even less in their eyes because people sleeping around actually _do_ something, unlike me.”

He laughs and absentmindedly shoves his feet under Qrow’s thighs, seeking the warmth the older man’s body emanates. The coldness of his skin seeps through the fabric of Qrow’s pants and makes him shudder.

“You’re still not getting warm properly, do you?” he asks.

“No, not really.” Clover shrugs. “Not like there is anything we can do about it though.”

“There is actually. Let me get under the blanket as well.”

“What?”

“Never heard of sharing body heat?”

Clover looks a little sceptic. “Wouldn´t we both have to be naked for that to work properly?” he asks.

Qrow rolls his eyes. “You wish. But no, it should work like this too. I have been running pretty hot since we entered the cabin and I am pretty sure that my aura is on a 100%. You on the other hand are still almost out of aura and feel like an overgrown ice cube. No offense.”

Clover chuckles and raises an arm to make room for him under the blanket. Qrow scoots forward and catches a glimpse of a creamy piece of well-formed butt before hastily raising his eyes to Clovers face again.

“Don´t take this the wrong way Lucky Charm, but there is more to that, am I right? You are not the person to get easily offended by some jealous assholes who couldn´t be bothered to look at their own failures and took their frustration out on other people instead.”

Clover smiles at him and Qrow feels him lean closer under the blanket, trying to absorb as much body heat as possible.

“No, you are right. For me it was always more important to know what I had accomplished and how, so I wasn’t all that bothered by what those people said about me. Maybe a little annoyed, from time to time, because it made finding new friends a little harder. Not that it was something Atlas encouraged in the first place. But… there is one important difference between your semblance and mine. Yours doesn´t discriminate between friend or foe, between you and other people, it affects everyone the same way. Mine doesn´t, not to that extend. Sure, in a fight my good luck works for both sides but I am more used to it and can make the best out of the situation at hand, which I suppose is something you have learned to take advantage of as well.”

Qrow only nods, curious where all this is leading to.

Clover looks into the flames of the fireplace, seemingly mulling over the words in his head.

“You know these hypothetical questions you get asked sometimes when they evaluate if you are still fit to be in the field and to make hard decisions? Like you are driving in a car and there are two cyclists in front of you, crossing the street on a red light, so you have to chose how to react. Using the break won´t safe those in front of you, you are much too close already, but if you sway to your left to try and avoid the crash, you will drive into a pile of children on their way to school. If you steer to your right, there is a blind person waiting to cross the street.”

Qrow feels for Clovers hand and grips it tight. He has a pretty strong idea now where this is going.

“You can argue for or against the different outcomes, but I think you´d agree with me that saving the children might be the top priority here. My semblance doesn´t work this way, though. It wouldn’t take into consideration the number of the children or that they are young or that the cyclists are the ones to blame here. It will make sure that the outcome is the one where I, the driver, suffer the least consequences.”

Clover looks and him and Qrow is surprised to see tears in his eyes.

“People have died because of my semblance, Qrow. Not because my semblance is the one creating these situations, but because it gives the wrong solutions. It will always choose me over anyone else, even if it means that a hundred or more people have to die for it. So yes, I know about staying away from people and I try to not get too close to my teammates. Not for the same reasons they do it, not because I don´t want to be friends with them, but because I can’t. Because when the situation calls for it, I know that my semblance will make the decision for me. And it won´t be a decision I would approve of. It makes me feel weak and so unbelievably helpless, but there is nothing I can actually do about it.”

Qrow doesn´t hesitate to pull the other man closer to himself, even lets Clover bury his face into his shoulder. They stay there, huddled underneath a big woolen blanket, staring into the flickering flames of the fireplace. Both are lost in their own thoughts, but the knowledge that they understand each other better than anyone else, might even be the only ones on the entirety of Remnant to fully understand each other’s pain, is a relieve that none of them thought they would ever get to experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter might take some time. I need to write a stupid paper for Uni.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover might be dead, but not for long. He comes back in true Clover-fashion: Very much naked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter deals with the aftermath of Clovers death, even if it is fixed by the end of it. This story will get a happy ending, I promise! But I know that some of you are (understandably) still quite upset about 7x12, so I thought I´d give you guys a heads up, so everyone who doesn´t want to read about it can chose to ignore this chapter and come back for the next one. 
> 
> There is also some description of a panic attack happening in this chapter. The whole story is from Qrow’s POV and it is not him who suffers through it, but please consider skipping this chapter all together if reading about someone suffering and being helped though a panic attack triggers you! Take care of yourselves!

Qrow is quite glad that Weiss had the foresight to secure all of them with those glyphs of hers because he would hate for one of the kids to make a deep dive into the vault’s pit.

He turns and looks at the being that came out of the Staff of Creation. Unlike Jinn, the creature seems to be gender-less. Its body is mostly hidden behind dancing wafts of blue and green mist and its face is devoid of any emotions. A little like Atlas, Qrow can´t help but think, and a bit like he himself has been feeling since his actions have killed the only person who seemed to genuinely understand him and his problems.

Clover has been dead for two days now, his mangled body long since deported into the Academy’s own morgue where it is stored for the foreseeable future. There is no time to prepare him for transportation to Argus, where Clover grew up and where his parents still reside. Not that Qrow had known about that before he had overheard James telling the Ace Ops what had happened to their leader and what was going to be done about it. Qrow himself had sat in his cell, bruised and half dead out of worry for his gaggle of runaway-kids that had somehow managed to vanish right under the Generals nose. The same kids that had busted him and Robyn Hill out of their confinements not even three hours later, when fleeing Atlas wasn´t a possibility anymore due to Salem arriving at their doorstep.

Now, about 24 hours later, they have managed to apprehend a screaming and spewing Ironwood and, by overriding all of his commands with the help of one Pietro Polendina, they even accomplished to lock the rabid man into his own office. They also got the current winter maiden Penny into the vaults and managed to get hold of the Staff of Creation, which they needed for their newest plan that involved a second pair of silver eyes.

But first, they had to lower Atlas to the ground without smashing the already desolated Mantle in the process. Only then could they use the Staff to hopefully use the life of a certain scorpion-tailed Faunus to their advantage.

Tyrian Callows is currently lying a few feet behind Qrow on the concrete vault floor, unconscious for now, but gagged, restrained and guarded by both Yang and Penny. Qrow can´t look at the guy without bile rising in his throat. Better to not leave the guarding to him, they decided, because they needed Tyrian for the second act of their plan.

Lowering Atlas is crucial, since utilizing the Staff is only possible if it isn´t already used for a different task. For reasons Qrow still doesn´t quite understand, the kids have decided that he should be the one to execute their plan and so Penny had revealed to him the name of the creature inside the Staff as soon as they had entered the chamber. Apparently, a dying winter maiden doesn’t pass on just her abilities to her successor, but also some of the ancient knowledge she possesses. And so, when Qrow uttered the name of the creature, and the shadowy being emerged out of the spearpoint-shaped blue crystal, they had set in motion what must have been James’ greatest fear: They lowered Atlas to the ground.

Now that the first part of their plan has been accomplished, Qrow really hopes that the second one will also work out in their favor, because they´ve ran out of options by now. Salem is slowly but surely decimating the entire Atlas and Mantle population and Ruby’s eyes are currently not strong enough to defeat the evil witch. They need a second pair of silver eyes.

“It’s done” says Qrow while staring up to the creature that is floating a few feet above him. “Atlas isn´t in the air anymore, so there should be no task that is currently occupying the Staff. We can use it now for whatever we want?”

“Yes” comes the emotionless answer.

“Okay.”

Qrow really hopes that none of the kids can hear is voice shaking. He had told them before that he doesn´t believe in god and the gods he knows about are not there to help, but right now his mind is doing something eerily similar to praying.

Why are they letting him do this? With a semblance like his, this undertaking is doomed to fail. Why don´t Ruby or Penny take over? Their hearts are so pure while his is dark and embittered and has just been broken into a myriad of pieces all over again.

He sighs. There is nothing he can do about it now. He just has to go through with it.

“Okay” he says again. Stands a little straighter. Holds his head high. This is it.

“Then we´d like to exchange the life of one creature for the life of one that has already died.” He waits a second before adding: “That is possible, right?”

“Yes” the creature says again in that monotone voice and looks straight at Qrow. “Your life?”

“N-no” Qrow stutters and really hopes that this isn´t one of the situations where a voluntary self-sacrifice is needed. Because he is pretty sure that this is not something Tyrian would ever do. He gestures to the captive lying on the concrete floor. “Tyrian Callows. We want to exchange his life for another.”

The creature looks at him for a long time, facial features entirely devoid of any emotion. Qrow can hear a collective intake of breath behind him and feels himself holding his own breath as well.

“Name the other life.”

Qrow swallows hard. “Summer Rose.” His voice breaks at the end.

They wait.

The creature stares at him with its empty, hollow gaze.

“It is impossible.”

He can hear Ruby try and fail to suppress a sob and hopes that someone will hold her, comfort her, because while he told her not to get her hopes up, he knows that she did. Of course she did. He did as well, against his better judgement and now he is paying the price. Feels his already broken heart burst into even more pieces, sharp and violent, plunging into his ribcage and leaving him with no air left to breathe.

 _Liar,_ he wants to scream. _Why tell us that you can and then not go through with it?_

But he only manages a croaked “Why?”

It feels like hours while they all wait for the creature to answer. The only sound are Ruby’s silent sniffles and the soft cooing-sounds by, surprisingly, Weiss. 

“The being by the name of Summer Rose resides among the living still. I can only bring back people who have crossed the borders to the land of the dead.”

Silence.

There is a buzzing sound in Qrow’s ear that gets louder with each second and drowns everything out.

He turns around to look at the kids.

Yang has abandoned her position as Tyrians guard and is now on the ground, violently hugging her younger sister, who in turn seems to be sobbing without restraint now.

Qrow can see it but no sound reaches his ears.

Summer is alive.

Has been alive for all those years they thought her dead.

Summer is _alive._

Qrow shakes his head violently and tries to force the buzzing out of his ears. He turns back, looks at the creature still floating a few feet above them, not caring in the slightest about the emotions its words have provoked in the occupants of the chamber.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she?”

“The being named Summer Rose currently resides in a place where no light of the sun ever managed to reach the surface.”

“The Land of Darkness.”

“Yes.”

He has been there. Countless times, scouting the land, searching and gathering intelligence, never once finding even a single trace of his former teammate.

More evidence of just how much of a failure he was. Still is. Always has been.

“Uncle Qrow!”

He turns. Ruby still clings to her sister, but she is standing now. They all are, and they stare at him with so much hope and so much determination that he has to avert his gaze. Stares at the Staff in his hand instead. The crystal at the top of the spear is a different shade of blue, not enough green in it to resemble a warm teal color, but it still reminds him of his latest failure. Of eyes, staring lifeless upon the sunrise, while the scream of a battered old man with a broken heart had wandered the vast expanse of the frozen tundra. 

“Uncle Qrow, we can still use the staff to bring someone else back!”

That’s right. They had lost a teammate not so long ago, and a friend. A girl with fiery red hair, who did what she did despite knowing her fate. Despite knowing she would die. They would want her back, of course. They deserved to have her back.

“I require a name” the creature states.

Qrow grips the staff tighter and hopes that this will work. For the kids’ sake.

“Pyrrha Ni-“

“No!”

Qrow turns around at Jaunes’ outcry. He is surprised to see Ren, Nora and Jaune staring back at him, misty-eyed but at the same time with a determination in their eyes that it makes him shiver. They are holding hands.

“Jaune, what…” He stops when he sees the tears running down the boy’s face. “I don´t understand.”

“Uncle Qrow, we want you to think of yourself now” Jaune starts and Qrow barely registers what the boy called him. It does piece some of his broken heart’s scraps back together though.

He takes a few steps in the kids’ direction. “Listen now. Think about what you are saying Jaune. You could have her back.” A flash of teal eyes invades his mind, crinkled at the corners and bright with laughter. He forces it away but Jaune seems to have read him anyway, because the boy clenches his fist and presses on:

“No, you listen now, Uncle Qrow! Pyrrha has been dead for over a year. Yes, it still hurts and yes, of course I want her back with us, with me. But we have all made our peace with it. It was her choice. She knew what would happen and she still pressed on. We don´t know what exactly happened between you and the Captain and this guy”, he gestured to the still unconscious Tyrian, “but Clover’s death clearly wasn´t anything like Pyrrha’s.” He sighs. “All we know is that you have been doing so much better since we arrived here and that, among other reasons, we have to thank Clover for that. This doesn´t mean that we think you won´t manage without him, of course not. You are one of the strongest people I know, and I am glad you are here, supporting us and just being there for us.” Here Qrow can see Ren place his other hand on Jaune’s arm and Nora putting her head on the boy’s shoulder. “But I also think you shouldn´t have to be alone in this. And that you need to put yourself first now. Because you never have, in all the time we have known you, and that, quite frankly, just won´t do. Pyrrha would say the same if she were here now.”

“But…“Qrow doesn´t know what to say. He realizes that his entire body shivers and trembles with his inability to figure out the right thing to do in this situation.

It has to be the girl. Her death was no one’s fault but Cinder’s, while Clover’s death could be traced back to a myriad of wrong decisions on both his and the Captains side. And to James Ironwood.

“Uncle Qrow, if you won´t say his name, one of us will!” sounds the stern voice of his younger niece. She steps forward with a determination in her eyes that reminds him of Argus, and he knows that Ruby is dead serious now.

God, how much he wants to make it right. To fix what happened on that plane. To see those eyes light up with life again, bright and hopeful. To ask if Clover regretted his choice in the end. To find out if those last words carried the same meaning for Clover as they did for him.

Qrow looks at the kids again, trying to find a face that shows something other than encouragement. There is none. They all seem to think that this is the right thing to do. And when it comes to decision making, they clearly have the upper hand.

God, he loves them all so much.

His shaking hands grip the staff tighter and he tries to compose himself. If this works, he doesn´t want to look like the mess he clearly seems to be at the moment. 

He inhales.

Holds his breath, counting to five to calm himself.

Exhales.

Inhales.

Looks at the creature still hovering patiently in the air.

“Clover Ebi.”

Exhales.

The mist around the creature thickens and part of it wafts away from it and descends to Qrow’s level, forming a tight blue and green hued ball. Qrow squints because he thinks he can see the outlines of something – no, someone – behind the wafts of mist, blurred and somehow giving off the feeling of being not quite there yet.

A second wave of mist makes its way to the bound and gagged form of Tyrian, who seems to be in the act of gaining consciousness. Yellow eyes widen as they make out his surroundings, and Tyrian begins to squirm and wriggle to get himself free, but to no avail. The mist seems to wrap itself around the Faunus’ body, getting thicker and thicker, making the outlines of the man disappear.

Then the mist begins to rise again, lifting the body in the process. Blue and green hues make their way back to the creature and insert themselves again into the wafting waves around the creature’s body.

Tyrian is gone.

Qrow has no time to really let that sink in. The once blurred outlines in front of him are getting sharper and before he can even move a single finger, a naked body drops to the floor. Qrow knows that body, knows that head crowned with soft auburn hair, knows the expanse of lightly tanned skin.

Clover.

He is back.

Clover is back and Tyrian is gone. 

Qrow doesn´t care for anything else happening at that moment. He doesn´t see the creature disappearing back into the staff or the kids smiling and crying and hugging each other in silent relief. He doesn´t even realize that he lets go of the Staff or the clattering of the relic echoing through the vault. He only has eyes for the man on the floor.

For a terrible second Qrow thinks the creature brought back nothing but a corpse.

But then he sees Clover move, sees the man’s shoulders quiver and shake and he is running to the lying form on the floor before he even realizes it.

Clover’s eyes are wide open, staring unblinkingly ahead, the pupils dilated and replacing almost all of the teal that made up his iris. It is then that Qrow realizes that it is not only the man’s shoulders that shake, no, there seem to be full-body shivers running through him. Clover has curled himself into a fetal position, his hands clawing at his arms and his breath leaving him in short and fast gasps.

This isn´t the first panic attack Qrow is seeing, but it is the first where he isn´t sure the usual ways of helping are going to work. He doesn´t know the things Clover might have seen or not seen and he can´t even imagine how it feels to wake up from being dead.

Still, he crouches down next to the shivering man and assures him in a low, calm voice that he is there now, that Clover isn´t alone and that everything is going to be okay. Then – agonizingly slow so he can see every single reaction to it, so he can stop if he has to – he places his right hand on the man’s arm. 

Clover’s skin is coated in a thin layer of goose bumps and cold sweat. He doesn´t flinch at the contact which Qrow counts as a slight win, but his breathing does grow even more erratic and that is something that worries the older huntsman. He decides that he has to try and coax Clover out of his fetal curl to make breathing easier for him. A quick glance at the kids tells him that they already turned around to give him and Clover some privacy but he still unfastens his cloak and places it over as much of Clover’s body as he can before he gently, carefully pushes the man onto his back.

God, he really hopes this is actually a panic attack because he doesn´t even want to think about the alternative. 

“Hey Cloves” he murmurs and moves his hand from the man’s arm to his chest. Then he feels for one of Clover’s own hands all while never taking his eyes off of the man’s face. When he finds it, he takes it in his other hand and guides it to his own chest, placing it onto the soft fabric of his vest. “Breathe with me, will you?”

He takes slow, deliberate breaths and keeps his eyes locked with Clover’s. First, the other man’s gaze doesn´t seem to be able to stay in one place, his eyes jumping from Qrow’s hand to the vaults ceiling and back. After a few moments he ends up on Qrow’s face, which the man counts as a win until he sees Clover’s eyes fill with tears.

“Hey, shhh Lucky Charm, it´s okay. You are okay and I am okay. Look, you can feel it!” he presses Clover’s hand closer against his chest to make the man feel his heartbeat but it doesn´t seem to help. Clover’s breathing gets even worse with the added sobbing that comes with the now falling tears.

Qrow watches the man under his hand helplessly, he really doesn´t know what to do.

Then he remembers something, a memory back from his own academy days. Summer, sweet little Summer, who is _alive_ , had once comforted one of their classmates after he lost a fight at the Vytal Tournament. The boy had been so afraid of his father’s reaction that he had worried himself into a full-blown panic attack. When the usual breathing technique hadn´t helped, Summer had resorted to a more elaborate technique.

“Cloves… look, I know this will be hard for you, but could you do something for me? Nothing bad, I promise! But can you try to concentrate on your surroundings for me? Would you do that, Lucky Charm?”

Qrow hopes that using those pet names will calm the other man down. He also hopes that he himself isn´t the main reason for Clover’s attack or he would have to find someone else to help the man. He really doesn´t want to though, he isn’t even sure he’d be able to leave the man’s side if he tried.

There is pressure on his hand and when he looks down, he sees Clover all but crushing the hand on his chest.

“Why?” Clover then croaks and his eyes dart around the room again. Belatedly Qrow realizes that he might have worried the man even more with his words.

“You are safe here, Lucky Charm, I promise. Nothing will hurt you here!” he assures him quickly. “Look around. That´s the only thing I want you to do right now. Can you do that for me? Look around and name five things you see.”

Clover releases a shuddering breath and nods. He is obviously avoiding Qrow’s gaze, something that stings, yes, but now isn’t about him. Now is about Clover and how they have to get him out of his panic. So Qrow only squeezes Clover’s hand again and waits.

There isn´t much to see in the vault, Qrow realizes and he hopes that Clover won´t have to sit up for this. Qrow is currently obscuring the view to the kids behind him and he really doesn´t want to find out the man’s reaction to the additional audience right now.

“The elevator” Clover rasps while his eyes dart along the room. “The crystals, the pit”. He shudders and Qrow releases the hand on his chest to reassuringly stroke Clover’s arm. “You. Is it really you?”

Qrow squeezes his hand a little more in affirmation and tries to give the man a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, Lucky Charm. It´s good old me, alright.”

Clover stares at him a little more. Then he takes his hand from the place on Qrow’s chest and raises it to the older man’s face instead.

“Your cheeks are wet. Have you been crying?”

Huh?

“Oh. Yeah. I suppose I have.” Qrow smiles weakly. He hadn´t even realized it at the moment, but those tears that are blurring his view are a dead give-away. First Summer and now Clover. It is all a bit too much for one day.

Clovers finger wanders a little further and grazes a thin split in his cheek that Qrow suspects must stand out from his pale complexion. “What happened here?”

_Well, your boss decided to dive down the deep end and shoot an innocent child off a cliff. So I told him how very unhappy I am about that fact and he has never been one to take criticism well now, has he?_

“Ah, it´s nothing really. Don´t worry about it.” Later. They will talk about it later. “You think you can sit up now?”

Clover blushes, clearly just realizing in what state he is, and probably also ashamed about his panic attack. But he nods and that is the most important thing.

“Uncle Qrow?”

He turns around to see Ruby standing warily a few feet behind himself. She turned sideways so she doesn´t look at Clover’s state of undress, giving the man some privacy. He still feels Clover stiffen and trying to cover as much of his body as possible with Qrow’s cloak.

“Penny’s father contacted her. Said the whale is on the move again. We need to go.”

That is when he notices her eyes. They are glowing with restrained power, so bright that for a second, he is afraid she will go blind until he remembers how Summer had been back in the days. The news about her mother must have given Ruby the hope and strength she hadn´t felt in months.

“Sure thing kiddo. How about you collect your friends and then we get the hell out of here?”

The girl nods and gives Clover a shy smile before she turns around and makes her way back to her friends.

“Whale?”

Qrow turns to a confused looking Clover. He snorts even though the situation is anything but funny. There has been so much going on that the man doesn´t even know about, but he just shakes his head. “Long story. Don´t worry about it. Let’s focus on getting out of here first. Baby steps and all that.”

He gets up and offers his hand to the man, but Clover just stares at his feet, cheeks reddening.

“I don´t think my legs can carry me yet” he whispers and Qrow has to get really close to understand the words. He turns around and beckons the kids to go first. Then, when they are past the two men and well on their way to the elevator, Qrow lifts Clover up and into his arms. Together like this they make their way to the vaults exit where half of the kids already left and only Oscar, Weiss, Ren and Blake are left with them. They all smile but don´t say a word. Qrow is glad they left the most empathetic ones with them. Nora would have never in a million years managed without a comment. 

It is as they wait that Clover murmurs something into Qrow’s neck, too muffled for him to make out.

“Come again?”

Clover raises his head a little. “Blood. You know? For taste. We didn´t do the other ones.” He grimaces. “I think I bit my tongue.” 

Qrow chuckles weakly and something warm surges through his body, something that feels an awful lot like hope. He presses the man in his arms a little closer to his chest and smiles when a few strands of auburn hair tickle his face.

This is okay.

They will be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Summer is alive! And while I am pretty sure that she also is alive in canon, she most definitely had to be in this story because there is no freaking way that Qrow would think of himself first and his nieces second. Summer would be the first thing on his mind, and he would make sure that Ruby and Yang would get their mother back. So yes, for me, resurrecting Clover is only possible if Summer is alive. Here’s hoping! 
> 
> Also: I don´t think that they would be able to sacrifice just anyone to get a dead person back. I believe the person would have to sacrifice themselves, be willing to give their own life. And I just don´t see that happening anytime soon. Ironwood would come to mind and while I can see that happening if he thinks getting Summer back would benefit them all, there is no way he would still sacrifice himself for Clover after he knows that Summer is still alive. He just doesn´t seem like the person to do that. This is why I decided that in my story, the Staff of Creation is truly neutral, taking one life for another and not caring for the ethical questions behind all this. 
> 
> The technique Qrow remembers is one that I was taught back when I volunteered at a school in Norway. It works best with kids because it makes them concentrate on specific things and forget the panic they are in. It does work for grown-ups as well though. You make them tell you five things they can see, four things they can hear, three things they can feel, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste. It worked pretty fast for Clover (mostly because I realized too late that there isn´t much at the vault to begin with, so finding all those things to concentrate on turned out to be almost impossible :D)

**Author's Note:**

> Clover deserved better and so does Qrow! So I give it to them. Because they deserve the world!


End file.
